1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable electronics devices, such as handheld computers. Specifically, the present invention relates to portable electronics devices having an ergonomic shape that allows the devices to be easily held in one or two hands in a variety of positions.
2. The Prior State of the Art
During recent decades, electronics devices have become smaller, more lightweight, and more widely used in a variety of industries and endeavors. Early computers used vacuum tubes and other large-scale components and, accordingly, were large devices that were immovable fixtures and at times could fill an entire room. With the advent of liquid crystal displays, integrated circuits and silicon semiconductor chips, computers and other electronics devices have steadily increased in computing power and decreased in size.
In recent years, the demand for access to computing power, coupled with the significant decrease in computer size has yielded portable electronics devices, such as laptop computers, which enable users to carry computing resources that previously were limited to relatively fixed, desktop computers. Special-purpose computing and communication devices have also been developed, including digital personal assistants, cellular phones, global positioning system receivers, and any number of other electronics devices.
Fixed electronics devices, such as desktop computers, home entertainment equipment, and the like, are typically encased by rectangular or box-shaped housings. The shape of such housings has been selected for ease of manufacturing and to enable the electronics devices to be securely positioned in a stationary position, stacked, shipped, etc. As portable analogs to fixed electronics devices have become available, the portable devices typically have been given housings much like those of the fixed devices. Handheld electronics devices are generally rectangular in shape, often resulting in user discomfort when the devices are held for more than a short period of time. Thus, while a large number of handheld devices are being developed, the shape of their housings has limited the degree to which they can be continually used for long periods of time.
The present invention relates to housings of electronics devices that have ergonomic designs that allow the devices to be comfortably held by users in any of a variety of positions. The housing can be held by one or two hands, depending on the nature of the tasks that the user is performing while manipulating the electronics device. Moreover, the shape of the housings of the invention permit users to hold the devices for long periods of time without significant fatigue and discomfort.
According to one aspect of the invention, an electronics device that has the ergonomically shaped housing has a size that enables a user to hold the device in one or two hands. A gripping region of the housing is the portion of the housing that is gripped by the user when the user holds the electronics device. The housing has a front surface that is viewed and accessed by the user to enter information. Part of the ergonomic design is represented by the front surface being more narrow in a middle section associated with the gripping region than at the top or bottom section of the front surface. The narrow section can be conveniently and securely gripped by the user, while the relatively wider top section can include a screen of a display device.
Another feature of the ergonomic design of the gripping region is the rounding of the corners that are positioned where the front surface meets the lateral surfaces and where the back surface meets the lateral surfaces. Thus, when a user hold the electronics device, the hand is in contact with the rounded corners rather than more sharp corners. Yet another portion of the gripping region is a depression formed in near a midline of the back surface, into which the fingers or palm of the user""s hand can rest.
A keypad structure can be formed on the narrow section of the front surface. Positioning the keypad structure at the narrow section causes the force applied to keys on the keypad structure to be directed toward the gripping structure and toward the hand of the user holding the electronics device. Thus, when the user repeatedly depresses keys, the torque applied to the electronics device and the hand gripping the housing is minimal, which can reduce stress or fatigue as the device is used.
A housing having the ergonomic features of the invention can be held in one of at least three ways. First, the user can grasp the gripping structure with one hand, with the upper portion of the palm positioned on the depression of the back surface, one or more fingers wrapped from the back surface to one adjacent lateral surface and the thumb wrapped from the back surface to the other adjacent lateral surface of the gripping portion. This position allows the user to view the display device and to have one hand free to enter information into the keypad structure or to engage in other activities.
Second, the user can grasp the gripping structure with one hand, with one or more fingers positioned on the depression of the back surface, the center portion of the palm positioned at an adjacent lateral surface, and thumb and associated portions of the palm being positioned at or near the front surface. This position permits the user to have one free hand and to manipulate the keypad with the free hand or with the thumb of the hand grasping the gripping section.
Third, the user can grasp the gripping structure with two hand positioned opposite one another. Each hand has fingers positioned on the depression of the back surface. Portions of the palms rest on the lateral surfaces of the gripping surface. Both thumbs are then available to access and manipulate the keypad structure. Using both thumbs enables faster keying of data than is possible using only one thumb. Other advantages of this position include the ability to hold the electronics device in a highly secure manner while entering data using the keypad structure.
Another ergonomic feature that can be used with the invention relates to the position of the screen of a display device that is located in the top section of the housing. Rather than being parallel to the plane defined by the keypad structure, the screen is tilted so that the direction normal to the screen angles toward the direction normal to the keypad structure. In other words, the screen can be tilted so that it is more readily viewable by the user. Without this positioning of the screen, the user may have to uncomfortably rotate the wrists to bring the screen into a position to be fully viewable.
Electronics devices having housings formed according to the invention can be held and used through long periods of time. Users are less likely to become fatigued as they use the electronics devices, making the electronics devices more valuable in a number of industries. The ability to switch between any of the three positions described above enables users to hold the electronics devices comfortably for any desired period of time.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The features and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.